OPP launch crackdown on distracted driving

The ‘Put Down the Phone and Leave it Alone’ campaign, which begins today, will see hundreds of cruisers patrolling Ontario highways over the next week as they look for drivers talking on cell phones, texting, eating and being otherwise distracted while behind the wheel.

“A lot of people think it is hard to spot distracted drivers, but it is actually quite easy,” Sgt. Dave Woodford told CP24 along Highway 400 Monday morning. “We approach these vehicles and we will be staring at these people on their devices and a lot of the time they don’t even know we are there.”

According to the OPP, 83 people died in motor vehicle collisions where distracted driving was a factor in 2012.

So far in 2013, another 15 people have died in accidents where distracted driving is listed than a factor.

"Too many people are losing their lives and that is why we do these campaigns," Woodford told CP24.

As part of their campaign, the OPP is urging drivers to keep all handheld devices out of their reach while they are behind the wheel.

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Photos

An Ontario Provincial Police officer approaches a vehicle that he had pulled over on Highway 400 on April 15, 2013. The OPP are launching a week-long crackdown on distracted driving. (Cam Woolley/CP24.com)